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Feb 16, 2015 at 11:28 AM

The headline read "Obesity dangerous, not cute, in youngsters."

The headline read "Obesity dangerous, not cute, in youngsters."

The article, published in The Oklahoman in 1975, rang the alarm on overweight children, citing a doctor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, concerned that 2 to 3 percent of elementary school children and 10 to 15 percent of high school students "weigh more than they should."

Oh, how far we’ve come.

Forty years later, Oklahoma has not only one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the U.S., but also the sixth highest adult obesity rate in the nation.

A 2009 study even estimated that, if Oklahoma didn’t turn its obesity rate around, it would have the highest rate of obese adults in the country by 2018. That same study projected that Oklahoma’s obesity rate would be at 44 percent by 2013.

"The good news is — we didn’t get there," said Julie Cox-Kain, senior deputy commissioner of the state Health Department. "We’re 44th in the nation, which isn’t great, but … the data seems to indicate not only that we have a slowing obesity rate, but also we may have stabilization of that, which is great because that’s what you have to have before you can start reducing your obesity rate."

‘Enough is enough,’ Gov. Fallin says

Over the past 25 years, Oklahoma has largely seen its obesity rate only increase.

The state’s adult obesity rate is almost 33 percent, up from 24 percent in 2004 and from 10 percent in 1990, according to an analysis by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Additionally, Oklahoma ranks No. 7 in adults who are physically inactive, has the eighth-worst diabetes rate and the ninth-highest rate of adults with unhealthy blood pressure.

And these rankings come with a cost.

Gov. Mary Fallin said in a statement that Oklahoma taxpayers and businesses spend almost $2 billion each year treating obesity-related medical conditions, money that could be redirected into the state’s economy or spent on government services in areas like education and health care.

Many Oklahomans are dying too young from preventable illnesses, Fallin said.

"As I said in my State of the State address, enough is enough," Fallin said.

"It’s time to stand up and fight for better health. I’m excited about the renewed emphasis on reducing obesity and promoting healthy living we are seeing in this state. Now it’s time to do the hard work and make sure we get the results we need."

Cox-Kain, along with other top health leaders, is concerned that if the state doesn’t make evidence-based policy decisions now, Oklahoma will not see the success other states have in slowing and decreasing obesity.

"Every time we have an infectious disease outbreak or something like that, it really grabs people’s attention," Cox-Kain said. "They really pay attention and try to understand how to protect themselves from it, even if the risk is somewhat slight, and we’ve seen that in recent months and across the country, but these things — tobacco, obesity, physical inactivity, heart disease and these other conditions — they’re impacting people every single day, and I guess it’s just so prevalent that we don’t pay attention to it any more, and in that way, it is just sort of hiding in plain sight. It’s insidious."

Whereas not a single Oklahoman has been sickened or died from Ebola, thousands have and will die from obesity-related conditions.

"Twenty-five percent of our population is dying of heart disease — that should be alarming to people," Cox-Kain said.

"And it shouldn’t be commonplace in our state. It’s unacceptable, and we’ve got to improve it."

‘I don’t know anybody who wants to live in an unhealthy community,’ Mayor Cornett says

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett wouldn’t have guessed that obesity would be a main focus of the work he would do as the city’s leader.

"If it wasn’t the last thing on my mind, it was close to it," he said.

About seven years ago, Cornett challenged Oklahoma City residents to go on a diet with him.

Cornett made the challenge after he stepped on the scale and realized he was obese. He lost more than 40 pounds and has since focused on how he can affect the city’s poor health outcomes.

Improving the residents’ health will have a long-term economic impact, Cornett said.

"We’re trying to grow an economy that will continue to have jobs for our young people in the next generation and to attract highly educated people from other places," Cornett said.

"And people with choices are not going to choose economies or cities that don’t prioritize health, so that’s why it’s important. I don’t know anybody who wants to live in an unhealthy community."

Across Oklahoma City, more sidewalks, bike and running trails and wellness centers have been built as a first step in a healthier direction, Cornett said.

However, these improvements are needed not only in Oklahoma City, but in communities across the state, said Deana Hildebrand, an associate professor of nutrition at Oklahoma State University.

Hildebrand has worked with communities that received money from the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, in an attempt to help those towns and cities better understand how they can improve their residents’ health.

Hildebrand said many Oklahomans do not live in environments that promote healthy lifestyles.

For example, for many rural residents, convenience or dollar stores are often the closest option to buy groceries, and most of the time, they don’t sell fresh fruit or vegetables.

Meanwhile, in cities, some parents might not feel like their neighborhoods are safe enough to allow their children to play outside.

They might see drug paraphernalia at public parks, not a welcoming sight for a family wanting to have a picnic or spend the day outside.

"We need people to take personal responsibilities for their food choices and their active living choices, but we also need, as a society, to make sure the places where we live, work, learn and play give us healthy options," Hildebrand said.

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